Rio Rico boys basketball advances past Window Rock

FLAGSTAFF - No.12-seed Rio Rico, in the state tournament for the first time in seven years, beat No. 5 Fort Defiance Window Rock at its own game, making transition baskets and forcing bad shots en route to a 58-48 Division III boys basketball state tournament game Friday at Northern Arizona's Walkup Skydome.

Rio Rico (17-9), which won a state championship in 2004, advances to Monday's quarterfinal at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley against either Thatcher or Tombstone.

Sophomores Danny Ramos and Dan Gastelum led Rio Rico with fearless moves to the basket and tough defense. Ramos had 12 points and Gastelum 23. They combined to score 12 of Rio Rico's 17 second-quarter points. They also helped smother point guard Joshua Pablo and Jay Diamond Taliman.

Pablo had 11 points and Taliman had 18, but they had trouble much of the game finding open looks.

"We're both sophomores, so this was the biggest game in our lives," Gastelum said about himself and Ramos. "Both teams run really well. We have a really good defense, so we tried to make it hard for them to get any good shots off."

Window Rock (22-5) played at a frantic pace, but was often out of control and often missed baskets. It fell into 30-19 hole late in the first half.

First-year Rio Rico head coach Layne Peugh, a retired law enforcement officer, could see in his players' eyes before the game how eager they were to play a run-and-gun team that hadn't played all week.

"They wanted it," Peugh said. "They really went after them."

Window Rock, which had a first-round bye, closed to within nine in the first minute of the final quarter, but Freddy Fragosa hit a jumper and Gastelum converted a three-point play with 5:36 left to give Rio Rico a 46-34 lead.

"It could have gone either way, but we kept our composure," Gastelum said.